Nonspill vent plug



April 29, 1941. E. GRAF 2,24@,457

NoNsPILL VENT PLUG' Filed May 25, 1940 Patented pr. 29, 194i UNITED ySTATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The principal object of the present invention is to facilitate thedrainage of liquid which may collect above the valve back against theflow lof gas escaping from the cell through the opening that iscontrolled by the valve.

The invention consists in the provision of a ball adapted when the ventplug is in upright position and the valve is open to roll into theopening through which the gas escapes and serve as a means for inducingback flow of liquid against the escaping gas pressure.

The invention also consistsin the improvements to be presently describedand nally claimed.

In the following description reference will be made to the accompanyingdrawing forming part hereof and in which- Figure 1 is a centralsectional view of a vent plug having provisions embodying features ofthe invention; and

Figure 2 is a similar view of the same shown in tilted position.

Referring to the drawing, the vent plug is provided with .two chambers Iand 2 of which one, I, communicates with the atmosphere and of which theother, 2, communicates with the interior of the storage battery cell. Apartition 3 is arranged between these chambers and it is provided with acentral valve port 4 and a valve seat 5. 6 is a flexible valve arrangedto cooperate with the valve seat and it is provided with a centralopening 1. A gravity operated body 8 having a spherical surface 9 isarranged in the chamber 2 and it clears the valve 2 and the opening 'Itherein when the plug is in upright position and it closes the valve andthe opening when the plug is tilted as in Figure 2. The foregoing is adescription of one type of nonspill vent plug to which the presentinvention is applicable.

A description will now be given of the invention and of the manner inwhich it cooperates with the described nonspill vent plug to improve theoperation of the same. There is a conically dished surface a extendingbetween the valve seat 5 and the wall of the chamber I and it isprovided on the facenf the partition 3 which confronts the chamber I. bis a ball adapted to roll on the dished conical surface la and to occupya position in the port l of the valve and on the spherical surface ofthe body 8 and in contact with both when the plug is upright tofacilitate return of liquid to the cell against the pressure of gasescaping from the cell. This is shown in Figure 1. When the nonspillvent plug is in the position `shown in Figure 2 the ball b is free toroll out of the way of the valve 6 and to the top .of the dished surfaceand the wall of the chamber I.

It has been said that the function of the ball b which may be of lead isto facilitate draining back liquid which may have collected in thechamber I against the flow of gas escaping from the cell through theopening 1. The theory of the action of the lead ball is not entirelyclear. However, as a matter of fact it hastens the draining back of anyliquid in the upper chamber when the cell has been restored -to theupright position and gas is escaping. One theory is that the ballprovides capillary spaces between lts surface and the adjacent surfaceswith which it is in contact, and such spaces provide a continuouscapillary path down through the opening l on one side while gas isescaping through the other side.

The diameter of the ball 6 is greater than the maximum distance betweenthe lower periphery of the wall of the opening 'I and the surface 9, toprevent the ball from escaping between the two.

1t will be obvious that modifications may be made in details ofconstruction and arrangement without departing from the spirit of theinvention which is not limited to such matters or otherwise than theappended claims may require.

I claim:

1. In a nonspill vent plug having two internal chambers respectivelycommunicating with the atmosphere and with the interior of a storagebattery cell, la partition between said chambers having a central Valveport and valve seat, a flexible valve arranged to cooperate with theseat and having a central opening through it, a gravity operated bodyhaving a spherical surface and arranged in the chamber that communicateswith the cell and clearing the valve and opening therein when the plugis upright and closing the valve and the opening when the plug istilted, the combination therewith of a conically dished surfaceextending between the valve seat and the chamber wall and provided onthe face of the partition confronting the chamber communicating with theatmosphere, and a ball adapted to roll on said conical surface and tooccupy a position in the opening in the valve and on the sphericalsurface of the body Vand in contact with each when the plug is uprightto facilitate return of liquid to the cell against the pressure of gasescaping from the cell.

2. In a nonspill vent plug the combination of a centrally perforatedpartition having a dished conical surface, a valve having a perforation,a tiltable body having a spherical surface cooperating with the valve,and a ball arranged for cooperation with the wall of the perforation inthe valve and the spherical surface and the dished surface.

3. In a nonspill vent plug the combination of a partition including amember having a central perforation, a movable body having a surfaceadapted to close the perforation and movable into and out of closingposition, and a ball arranged for cooperation with thewall of theperforation and the closing surface and of diameter greater than themaximum `distance between the lower periphery of the bounding wall ofsaid per-i foration and said surface.

ERNEST GRAF-,

